


one more time with feeling

by her0esneverdie



Category: The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Denial, F/F, Lesbian Zelda, Post-Canon, Trans Female Character, champion’s ballad segments from the post calamity haven’t happened yet, idk if pan mipha will come up in the story bc she’s Dead but, link is a trans girl, link is a trans lesbian babey, pan mipha, trans girl Link, uhh linkle? that’s her name but it’s not the linkle from hw so
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-12-07 14:42:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18236300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/her0esneverdie/pseuds/her0esneverdie
Summary: post-canon— specifically just after the true ending cutscene with zelda and link.zelda notices that without a massive destined purpose link has been spacey and depressed lately. trans girl link fic. everyone is supportive.





	1. Chapter 1

Zelda slid through a few settings on her sheikah slate, and looked up from the screen to the colossal elephant contraption before her. It stood silent and still, statuesque and inactive.  
Zelda let out an exasperated groan and fell to her back. The Zoras needed the divine beast Vah Ruta moving before nightfall and yet here they were in the afternoon, a full morning spent with no progress. Vah Ruta had been piloting itself since Link took down the essence of Ganon within it, and it now kept an automated watch over the territory. Watching it sweep away invading bokoblins in the moonlight was truly a sight to behold.

Zelda checked the time on her sheikah slate, holding it up above her head. 4:36 PM. Roughly four hours until nightfall. Four hours to get the divine beast moving again so as to prevent a bokoblin attack. She sighed, tucking her slate into her belt as she rolled over on her stomach to face Link. 

He was sitting quietly as ever, but with a sort of pained concentration in his eyes. He kept his eyes trained on the master sword in meditation.  
“...Link?”  
He turned in an instant, almost desperately.  
“Could you fly up to Vah Ruta and check out its insides? I want to see if messing around in there will help with bringing it back to its automated protection routines.”  
She held out the sheikah slate for him and he took it without a word, hitching it to his belt.  
Emotionlessly, he let his pack slide off of his shoulders and fall to the ground with a thud.  
He quickly pulled out a couple bundles of wood and flint and stacked them in front of him before slashing at it with his sword and causing a small bonfire to erupt, then jumping above it and opening his paraglider to catch a gust of hot updraft, soaring up into the skyline. 

Zelda narrowed her eyes at Link’s figure in the air. She had no idea where he learned how to do things like that. It really didn’t seem physically possible.

—-  
Zelda wasn’t sure how long Link had been gone. It could have been hours or even just exasperatingly long minutes. She looked to the sky for the time. Sunset was about an hour or two away by the looks of it.

She yawned and rolled up from the patch of grass where she had been sitting. If Link was going to take this long, then she would have to start dinner without him. Or at least _try_ to start. She was by no means the cook Link was.  
She strolled over to Link’s stuffed backpack, pulling out his cooking set and a small fire rod to light the kindling beneath the pot. A stew might be nice for tonight. Her mouth watered at the thought as she realized that she had forgotten lunch in the midst of her experimenting with Vah Ruta. 

She tore into Link’s pack with hungry eyes, looking for the first ingredient in the stew: the meat.  
Link always kept some meat in his pack, wrapped in cloth and refrigerated with an ice rod. Her hands fumbled blindly in the backpack, reaching out for the familiar feel of the cloth. She had no idea how Link kept his seemingly endless supply of items straight in his stout backpack. 

Her eyes lit up as her fingers brushed a soft bit of cloth. She grasped at it, struggling to get a grip but eventually getting her thin fingers around a corner and pulling. The cloth came soaring out with a sudden swish as it came unstuck, gently falling to the ground as Zelda recoiled and lost her grip. She couldn’t help but notice that there was significantly less weight in the cloth than she expected.

She turned to get a look, and instead of the familiar cream cloth of the meat sack, she saw an intricately detailed blue cloth.  
She took a moment’s pause to register what had happened before gingerly lifting the cloth from the grass with her thumb and forefinger. It was a silky veil, clearly Gerudo in origin. She spread it out to get a better look at it, and jumped as she heard a very soft thud.  
Looking down, she saw a wrinkled envelope had fallen from inside the veil, its contents spilled across the ground. Front and center was a note scrawled in Link’s shaky handwriting.

>   
>  “‘you make for quite a good lookin’ gal!’  
>  liberating but  
>  don’t do it again.  
>  you have a duty.”  
> 

Zelda slid the note aside with a finger, revealing photos printed from the sheikah slate spread across the ground.  
The soft blues of the veil stood out in every single image.  
Printed on slips before her was Link, wearing the Gerudo veil and the rest of the matching outfit. And he was _smiling_. In _every single picture_ Link was smiling broadly. His veil covered his mouth, but she could see it in his eyes. Pure happiness.

Zelda had only seen Link smile _once_ before in all the time she’d known him. The first time they saw each other again after she sealed away Ganon. Zelda asked Link if he remembered her. He had smiled, tears running down his cheeks as he ran at her and held her tightly in her arms.

That was the _only_ time.  
Every other time, he’d been stoic and still like a knight on duty. Even in the pictures that Link had shown her of his journey to reach her, he was serious. Even the pictures he was “smiling” in, they were always forced. There was never any joy in his eyes. It was a passionless performance.

In the pictures in front of her now, the joy was real. There were pictures of him laughing, posing with much taller Gerudo women who were on their knees to match his height. Pictures of him looking goofy, riding a speeding sand seal. Pictures of him with his legs crossed happily in a bar, a straw sticking out of a milkshake as he drank it from under the veil. Pictures of him fighting Yiga Clan members with a cocky smile. Pictures of him trying on jewelry. Playing with Gerudo children. Racing. Grocery shopping. Even taking down the thunderblight in Vah Nabooris  
All with a smile.  
All wearing the traditional Gerudo clothing for women.

 

The sound of Link’s paraglider slicing through the air snapped Zelda out of her trance as she searched the sky for him. The orange glow of the sunset highlighted his rigid expression. As he locked eyes with Zelda, he gave a tight lipped smile.  
There was no happiness in that smile.  
That smile held only pain and duty.

Link hit the ground running, jogging to divert the momentum he’d gained gliding. He dropped the paraglider in the grass and strolled to Zelda’s side. 

His eyes locked with the photos spread on the ground and he froze solid. He stood in place, eyes wide and jaw set. 

Neither of the Hylians said anything for a minute.

“Why are you so happy in these?” Zelda finally broke the silence, her voice wavering as she realized she had been crying. Her tears rolled off her chin and dotted the pictures beneath her.

Link stood absolutely still.

“...Please.” Zelda choked out, her voice still wavering as she wiped the tears away from her face with her sleeve.

Link, slowly and stiffly, lowered himself to his knees and knelt beside Zelda.

“They…”

Even his voice was rigid.

“I had to wear…”

He took a shaky breath.

“Had to wear women’s clothes to enter Gerudo Town.”

He shut his eyes tightly.

“They thought I was.. a woman.”

He clenched his fists, knuckles going white.

“...Liked it.”

Zelda quietly tucked her hand into his. He flinched as her soft skin touched his calloused and tough hands.

“...Why didn’t you tell me?” Zelda finally murmured, running her thumb over Link’s palm.  
“...Can’t live like that.” Link stared at the photos, a mix of disgust and longing in his eyes.  
“Why not?”  
Zelda took a photo in her free hand, cradling it like a baby bird. She held it up in front of the both of them.  
It was Link, smiling with an egg splattered on her face. She sat, reveling in the prank she’d fallen victim to. Next to her was the Gerudo chief and her guard, both trying to hold back laughter. At the bottom of the photo, a caption had been scrawled on.

>   
>  “yiga stakeout (aka sleepover with the other girls)”  
> 

Link’s hand slipped away from Zelda’s in an instant as it returned to its almost habitual position around the hilt of the master sword.

“...No.”  
He ran his fingers over the ridges of the hilt.  
“I have a _duty._  
...To _you._  
To _Hyrule_.”  
Tears welled up in his eyes, but he refused to acknowledge them.  
“...I am the _hero_ of the goddess. Not the heroine. Fate has decided my life’s path.”

“Shut _up!_ ”  
Zelda slapped his hand away from its spot on the master sword.  
She tackled him, hugging him tightly.  
“You’ve finished your duty! You saved Hyrule! You saved me!”  
Zelda could feel Link shaking a little from underneath her.  
“It’s time for you to live for yourself! Not for the goddess, not for Hyrule, and not for me!”  
She loosened her hold and let herself fall back to where she was kneeling before. She could see small tears tracing their way down Link’s face.  
“You… You aren’t just some tool of fate. Your life is yours to live.” Zelda sniffed.

 

The desolate creaking of Vah Ruta stirring to life shot Link to his feet.  
Zelda noticed, for maybe the first time, that the sun had set. She could hear the horns of advancing bokoblin tribes as she saw Vah Ruta set out to defend Zora’s Domain.  
“...I should help.”

They both knew Vah Ruta was more than capable of handling them itself.

Link slid the sword out of its sheath and took off toward the sound of the horns.  
Zelda reached out a tentative hand.  
“You don’t need to-“  
But Link was already gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> links outta town and zelda is GONSTA get herself some information

Zelda leaned on a stone wall as the last blue streaks swirled around her before dissipating. Fast travel was effective, but damn if it didn’t knock the wind out of her. She wheezed, gripping the stone bricks set in the wall and trying to stitch herself back together.

Link had been requested by the Gorons for a quest, and Zelda refused to follow. She wasn’t strong enough to walk in the fireproof suit, and they didn’t have enough time to hunt for potions or ingredients. Link, as Zelda’s personal bodyguard, had made her promise to stay in Zora’s Domain through what few sentences the silent hero was willing to speak.  
Which is why she was no longer in Zora’s Domain.

She needed answers, and Link would be gone for three days at least. The Yiga Clan had established a new base within the volcanic rock, and regardless how good of a warrior Link was, he couldn’t dethrone a group of trained fighters that quickly.

She marched up the hill with heavy legs before stopping in front of her destination;  
The Hateno ancient tech lab.

Zelda took a deep breath in before letting it out slowly, steadying herself before pushing through the heavy wooden doors. 

“Hey Zeldaaaaaa!!”  
Purah’s childish voice broke through the noise of the lab and reached Zelda before she’d even made it all the way inside.

“Hello, Purah.”  
Zelda couldn’t help but be unnerved by Purah’s appearance. The last time she’d known her she’d been around the same age as her, but now, one hundred years in the future… She had the body of a six year old. Purah had explained how it happened to her once, but she was honestly too shocked to register it. Looking like a six year old would be unsettling enough, so it didn’t help that she _acted_ like one too. She was the only bratty little six year old that understood most of the truth behind sheikah technology.

Purah stood in the center of the room, dancing in place with a goofy smile on her face.  
“To what do I owe the honor, princess?”

Zelda ran her fingers through her hair, nervously fidgeting as she thought through how to phrase her question.

“I came here to ask… About the shrine of resurrection.”

Purah’s eyes lit up at the question.  
“Ah, my greatest challenge in researching sheikah tech! That shrine is a miracle of technology, you know.”  
She hopped in place before skipping over to a desk and pulling out a thick yellowed book and cracking it open.  
“Taking what’s effectively a corpse and bringing it back to life.. I can’t think of anything stronger than that!”

Zelda winced at her words. Link, a corpse.. Of course, she knew that he had just about died in her arms back then, but it still hurt to think about. Even through all of the calamity, she couldn’t remember a single moment more terrifying than when the guardians swarmed him, prepared to take his life.  
“Yes, well.. I’d like to know what effects it had on Link. I’m doing a.. sort of.. study.”  
Zelda could feel herself cringing as finished her sentence. She really was a terrible liar.  
Purah didn’t seem to notice, instead thumbing through the book’s crisp pages and stopping on one in particular, running her index finger over the lines of text.  
“Well, first and foremost would be the loss of memory. We knew that even a hundred years ago. The shrine repairs the physical aspects of the body, but doesn’t touch the mind. The mind is put in a stasis for the entire process. As a result..”  
She looked up from her book with a smirk.  
“Well, without regular thought, memories fade over the course of one hundred years.”

Zelda shivered involuntarily. She couldn’t understand how Purah remained so cavalier while talking about something so decidedly macabre.  
“Yes, well.. do you know much more in relation to the physical effects?”  
Zelda pulled a small notebook from the pack at her hip and prepared to take down notes.

Purah have an enthusiastic and childish nod before returning her focus to the book.  
“Well, scars are left in place of serious injuries. Besides that and the changes to medication, the body is identical to how it looked before it was resurrected.”

Zelda’s eyes shot up with a sparkle, thirsty for information.  
“Medication? Could you expand on that?”

Purah nodded again, not taking her eyes away from the book.  
“Well I’ve noticed something in Link, but I haven’t been able to sort out why it happens yet. It seems like a very random change, not necessarily related to the healing process. Potions and medications that would normally last for a day on the average Hylian instead only last around five minutes for Link.”  
She shrugged, adjusting her glasses.  
“My running theory is that his body became so accustomed to the advanced healing and medication of the shrine of resurrection that he’d grown resistant to any other medications.”  
With that, she closed the dusty book and slid it back into its place.  
“Again though, that’s just a theory.”

Zelda finished writing down what she’d heard and tucked her notebook back into her pack with a smile.  
“Excellent. I can’t thank you enough for this information.”

Purah waved her away with a snarky smile.  
“Just get me some recent samples of Link’s blood for me to study sometime and we’ll call it even.”

With that awkward note, Zelda turned on her heel and left the lab.  
Closing the wooden door behind her, she looked at her sheikah slate. The day was almost halfway through. Just enough time left for her second stop:  
Gerudo Town. 

She tapped a location on the map and her body lifted up into the air before dissipating into blue energy and swirling away into the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really hope this wasn’t too dry and exposition-y,,


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ✨i didn’t proofread this chapter✨

Zelda’s feet started sinking into the coarse sand the minute her form could be discerned from within the blue energy. The energy splintered and faded away in ribbons as she fell to her knees, the wind knocked out of her.  
She had no idea how Link could fast travel without so much as batting an eye. It was uncomfortably disorienting.

She pulled herself to her feet, latching the sheikah slate back onto her waist and dusting off the sand covering her legs. She gasped quickly, and patted down her pockets before pulling out the photo of Link at the sleepover.  
She knew logically that items travel with you when you fast travel, but she wasn’t taking any chances. 

She slid the photo back into her pocket, careful not to crease it.  
She needed answers.

Zelda strolled through the gate to Gerudo Town, giving a short nod to the guards and leaving a certain odd gentlemen to complain by himself outside the town, griping about not being able to enter.  
She kept on a straight path, single-minded. Another set of tall, gorgeous guards stepped forward as she approached the throne room, but wavered when they saw the sheikah slate at her waist.  
“I need to speak with Chieftain Riju.”  
Zelda said matter-of-factly, a statement rather than a request.  
She was increasingly aware that her time limit was running low, and that Link would arrive back in Zora’s Domain any day now.  
The guards exchanged a look and stepped aside, granting her free access to the throne room.  
She nodded, passing through with an authoritative stride, letting the ruse fall the minute she’d made it past them. She wiped sweat from her forehead, exhaling in relief. She’d never seen women quite so _tall_.. or quite so… _muscled_.  
She shook her head, snapping herself out of her ruminations. Right. The task at hand. Link.  
She continued through the hall, one hand at her waist fidgeting with the ridges of the sheikah slate.

Riju’s guard spoke before Zelda even made it into the throne room.  
“Who approaches? Y-“  
She trailed off as Zelda came into view. She looked from Zelda’s face to Riju’s, unsure of what to do. She finally settled on kneeling and bowed her head.  
“Princess.”

Riju laughed, stepping down from her throne.  
“Buliara, stand up. There’s no need for such… _intense_ honorifics.”  
The guard did so, looking sheepish yet still holding perfect posture, spear at the ready.

Riju turned to Zelda, coming closer and presenting a hand.  
“Princess Zelda. It’s nice to finally meet you.”  
Zelda gently took her hand and was met with a much stronger grip. She came away from the handshake covertly shaking her hand, trying to get some feeling back.  
Riju let out another small laugh and gave a smirk.  
“So, what does Princess Zelda need from the Gerudo Chieftain?”

“Information.” Zelda replied flatly.  
She pulled the picture from her pocket and presented it.  
She could clearly see Buliara holding back a smile, while Riju just raised an eyebrow.  
“And… what does that picture have to do with anything?” She gave another mysterious smirk.

Zelda gently pointed at Link’s face in the photo.  
“I have _never_ seen him this happy before.”  
She lowered her finger but kept the photo raised.  
“Being here… Being _her_... made him happy. He keeps holding himself back from happiness. I want him to be as happy as he deserves to be.”

Riju’s smirk spread into an earnest smile.  
“You’re going to bring Linkle back?”  
Zelda hesitated before responding.  
“L-Linkle?”  
Riju let out an unapologetically loud laugh.  
“It’s what we called her. It started as a joke, but she grew to love it. I think it fits.”  
Riju plucked the picture from Zelda’s hands, looking at it nostalgically.  
“I suppose he didn’t tell you about that? I’m surprised he told you about it at all. I couldn’t get any more than two sentences out of him when he wasn’t Linkle. The minute those clothes came off, he just emotionally shut down.”  
She handed the photo back to Zelda with a gentle hand.  
Zelda stared into Link’s joyful blue eyes in the picture.  
“Linkle..”

“I suppose you have other questions?”  
Riju called over her shoulder, strolling back to her throne.  
“Y-yes!” Zelda jumped, sliding the picture back into her pocket.  
“You seem unfazed by.. _Linkle’s_.. change. Is this not uncommon in Gerudo culture?”

Riju chuckled as she settled into her throne.  
“It’s not exactly _common_ , but it’s not uncommon either. Some vai are born with bodies that don’t fit how they feel, and they ask for help adjusting the body to fit the mind.”  
She gestured to her guard.  
“Buliara, for example. Buliara was born in the body of a voe, but takes medications that allow her to be more comfortable with herself. She’s just as much a vai as any of the rest of us. The journey was different, but the destination is the same in the end.”  
She took her hands and clasped them together for effect.  
“ _We_ are the same in the end.”

Zelda nodded slowly, processing the new information. It was new, but it made sense.  
“What kinds of medications are used?”

“I know it consists of testosterone blockers and estrogen supplements. If you want the prescription names you’d have to ask the Gerudo town physician” Riju waved one hand dismissively.

Zelda cursed under her breath. Any medications wouldn’t be applicable to Link anyway. His resistance would make him need to take another dose every five minutes, and besides being impractical in terms of taking the medication she didn’t even think they could _get_ that many doses.

“If there’s nothing else..” Riju tilted her head slightly. 

“Oh!” Zelda jumped, mentally chastising herself for getting lost in her thoughts. “Yes. I’ll be going then. Thank you, Chieftain Riju.” Zelda bowed sharply before turning and leaving, exiting back into the town drenched in sunset’s light

She whipped out her sheikah slate and checked the time.  
Eight o’clock.  
She yawned, stretching out. If she wanted to get up early then she’d best get to bed soon, but the idea of fast traveling back to Zora’s Domain before bed sent her stomach into swirls.  
She entered the town’s inn and set a couple hundred rupees on the deserted counter before heading up the stairs and flopping down on the bed in the first unoccupied room she saw.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a quick inbetween-y chapter. sorry if it sucks im sick as hell i feel like my brain is full of mush

The beautiful desert sunlight shone from the window frame of the Gerudo Town inn down onto a sleeping Zelda in her underwear, hair messy and plastered to her face. She puffed out a short breath, slowly coming to. _What time is it_?  
She shot out of bed with a start, suddenly terrified.  
“What time is it!?”  
She scrambled for her slate with one sleepy hand, sliding it open.  
12:35 PM.  
Shit.  
She threw her slate back on the end table, struggling with the pair of pants as she pulled them onto her legs.

She’d slept _WAY_ too late and had been away from Zora’s Domain _WAY_ too long, If Link beat her back, it would make for an incredibly awkward conversation. One that Zelda would rather avoid.

She finished wriggling her top over her head and started fervently tapping on the sheikah slate.  
With a flash, she swirled away in a flurry of energy.

She reappeared in Zora’s Domain and took off running as soon as her feet hit the ground. 

She slipped and slid on the glassy floors of the Zora Palace before sliding right into the inn and crashing into one of the beds, falling facefirst right into the covers.  
From the other side of the bed, Zelda heard someone in pain, sucking air in through their teeth.  
She stumbled back to her feet.  
“I apologize, I didn’t mean to disturb y-“  
She cut herself off with a sharp yelp after seeing Link lying still on the bed.  
“L-Link!” Her brain stalled, trying to pull together a story..  
“I was just- I was just, here, staying put, here, in the, Zora’s Domain. Here.”  
She gave a weak smile, holding back a scream on the inside.  
To her surprise, Link chuckled. It was weak, but it was sincere. He pulled himself to a sitting position, wincing as he did and grasping his sword arm.  
“S’okay. Assumed you’d leave.” He shrugged with one shoulder, the other still.  
Zelda immediately dropped any worry about herself, crawling onto the bed next to him.  
“Your arm…” She laid her hand on it gingerly. Link flinched, but didn’t pull away.  
“Just a sprain. Pulled myself too thin.”  
“I’ll say.” She pulled the gauntlet of the champion’s tunic down Link’s arm and rolled up his sleeves, revealing a volley of bruises tucked away in the crook of his elbow.  
“That does it. No more missions for a while. Not until this heals.”  
Zelda crossed her arms huffily and Link groaned.  
“...S’not that bad.”  
“It is that bad!” Zelda shot back.  
“For the first time in over a hundred years, you are going to take some time for yourself.” She went to pull off his gloves, but he yanked his hand away, wincing as he did so.  
“I have a duty-“  
“What you _have_ is a sprained arm. If you keep using it while it’s hurt, it’s going to result in serious damage, and then you won’t be able to even swing a sword, let alone fight with one.” She pulled his hand back down gently and pulled off his gloves.  
“And then you won’t be able to do your duty for anyone.”

Link gave an exasperated grimace, but pulled his sheath and sword off of his back and laid it on the bed. 

Zelda gave him a warm smile, tossing his gloves to the side and holding his rough hands instead.  
“And… Maybe, you could let me meet Linkle?”  
Link went beet red and immediately lowered his gaze.  
“...I think I’d like that.”  
His face went rigid again as he tried to reign himself in.  
“Just until I heal though.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uh oh spaghetti o’s  
> it’s about to get  
> S A P P H I C  
> up in here!!

Zelda laid back in Link’s bed, smiling up at the ceiling.  
Linkle was changing in the small alcove under the stairs. She was… Giggling. _Giggling._ Link hardly ever laughed, let alone _giggled_.  
Zelda couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She shifted off the bed and stood up, tapping her fingers on the wooden railing.  
“No peeking!” Linkle called up from under the loft.  
Zelda let out a giggle of her own.   
“I won’t! Princess’s honor!”   
She drew a stitch across her heart with her finger for effect. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this giddy. Linkle just exuded waves of happiness- and Zelda hadn’t even seen her yet.

“Okay, I’m ready!”  
Linkle strode out from under the stairs, her light blue head covering trailing out behind her. She turned on her heel with an extravagant flourish, her eyes twinkling.   
It was incredible.   
Just like in the pictures, her eyes showed a clear smile.   
Her fit body glowed with tan, the scars across her side reaching to her abdomen from the left hip.  
“So are you gonna say something or are you just gonna keep staring?” Linkle smirked.

“Oh!” Zelda snapped out of her thoughts to realize she actually _hadn’t_ said anything.   
“Sorry! Y-you look great!”  
She hurried down the stairs, stumbling a bit on the last step.

“It’s nice to hear you talking like a normal person for once. Y’know, no ‘Apologies milord’” Linkle snorted.

Zelda balked.   
“I didn’t realize Linkle was so sassy!”  
Linkle rolled her eyes at that, but she was still smiling.  
“I’m still the same person..”  
Zelda immediately shook her head, taking Linkle’s hands in her own. “No, you most certainly are not. Link has never been this sociable in all the years I’ve known him.”  
Linkle’s smile sent butterflies roaring through Zelda’s stomach. 

Linkle pulled away from her, picking up the sheikah slate from the table.  
“Do you want to go somewhere? I hear there’s a festival in Gerudo Town today celebrating the goddess.”  
She slid her finger around on the map before tapping a location, then looking to Zelda and holding a hand out for her.

“I’d love to.” Zelda smiled, blush running to her cheeks as she took Linkle’s hand.  
Together, they stepped into the night air outside and warped away in a bundle of blue sheikah energy.

When they reappeared, they were just outside Gerudo Town. From over the sandy wall they could hear the sounds of music and laughter, a celebration underway.  
Linkle held Zelda’s hand tighter and pulled her to the town entrance.  
They pulled up in front of two guards who both waved to Linkle.  
“Linkle! Long time no see!” The guard on the left called out.  
Linkle chuckled and pulled her in for a hug, only coming up to her bellybutton.  
“It’s nice to see you Pioka. Any luck on the dating scene?”  
Pioka shrugged her shoulders, laughing.  
“Not really. I’ll be girlfriend-less for the rest of my life, woe is me!”  
She laughed again and Linkle joined in, hitting her softly in the side.  
“Don’t say stuff like that, you’re a catch! you’ll find someone someday. Maybe try to get out there, explore the world?”  
“That’s good advice, Linkle. I’ll think about it.” She smiled and waved them both in, Zelda looking absolutely dumbstruck.  
She laid her hand on Linkle’s bare shoulder and she turned to look at her.  
“You know her?”  
Linkle rolled her eyes again and shoved Zelda playfully.  
“I know everyone in Gerudo Town, princess. I love this place!”   
Before Zelda could ask any more questions, Linkle pulled her into the town square.

Paper lanterns were strewn throughout the sky, banners spread all throughout the town as market stalls offered sweet treats and people danced jubilantly in the square to music that Zelda had never even _heard_ before.  
“I don’t think I’ve heard that song. I’ve met a number of the Gerudo composers, and I never heard anything like this..”  
Linkle gave her a quizzical look.  
“You didn’t think culture just _stopped changing_ after the calamity, did you? This is a newer song, it came out around year 60 of the hundred years we were gone.”  
Zelda realized she must have looked incredulous, because Linkle immediately laughed and swung her arm around Zelda’s hip, guiding her to the people dancing in the town’s center.  
“We _really_ need to get you out more, princess.”

The music was wild and bumpy, swirling and exciting.   
“Just follow my lead,” Linkle had said.  
“It’ll be fun!”  
Zelda held Linkle’s hands as she spun around, a massive smile on her face illuminated by the lanterns around them.  
Linkle led her through the steps, showing her how to move until they were in perfect unison, laughing with each other. Claps erupted from around them to the beat of the music, and Zelda realized that they had shifted into the center, everyone dancing gathered around them and watching happily.  
Linkle hardly even seemed to notice, showing a big smile as she spun Zelda like a top before pulling her back into her arms. 

Her arms…  
Her arms were fit. Muscled and yet soft. They were lightly tanned, a spattering of freckles spread about like stars in the night sky.   
She felt safe in these arms. Safer than she’d felt in a hundred years.  
Zelda tightened her grip on Linkle with a smirk, jumping back into the dance with a renewed fervor. 

They made their way through the open space like two parts of one being, each cognizant of the other’s upcoming moves before they even began them.  
The music entered its bombastic finale, and a fire was struck in Linkle’s eyes.  
As one last note rang out, they pivoted and in a swift motion Linkle swept Zelda off her feet. She held her low to the ground, both of their faces inches apart as they breathed heavily.  
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause.   
Linkle had beads of sweat running down her forehead, blue eyes twinkling with soul that Zelda had never seen before. Linkle’s face covering hung down, her smile fully visible for the first time all night. An earnest smile. A smile that said “I could stay like this forever.”  
And Zelda agreed.

Before she even had time to think about what she was doing, before she could doubt herself, Zelda pulled Linkle into a kiss.  
Linkle tensed up a bit, surprised, before closing her eyes and returning the favor.

The crowd’s applause became ear-shattering, everyone cheering loudly for the two.  
Shouts from the crowd barely rose above the clapping and whistling.

“Way to go, Linkle!”  
“Linkle, you deserve it!”  
“Is that the princess!?”  
“Hell yeah, Linkle!”  
“Linkle and Zelda, who would’ve guessed?”  
“Are you kidding? They’re _adorable_ together!”

Linkle pulled Zelda up from the dip, the two of them still holding each other close, forehead pressed to forehead.

————

The two girls sat atop one of the walls of the city, hands intertwined as fireworks lit up the sky above them. Zelda tore a piece from the cake topped with powdered sugar that sat on her lap, eating it happily. She offered a piece to Linkle, who scarfed it down with a glowing smile illuminated by the colorful lights above.  
“It’s been wonderful getting to meet you, Linkle.” Zelda squeezed Linkle’s hand and slid a little closer to her, laying her head on her shoulder with a contented sigh.

“I’d say you did a little more than just _meet_ me, Zelda.” Linkle chuckled, laying her head down on Zelda’s and looking down at their hands. She ran her thumb over the back of Zelda’s hand, slowly and gently.

“Well, yes..” Zelda blushed.   
“It’s not my fault that you’re so.. beautiful and charming.. I honestly don’t know what came over me.” She squeezed Linkle’s hand again softly, as if confirming everything happening was still real.  
“I’m really glad it did, though.”

Linkle smiled warmly, looking up from their hands to see the fireworks above.  
“I’m really glad it did too.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> iiii don’t super love this chapter! except for the ending which i Do Super Love Very Much And Am Proud Of

Zelda held the silky blue bundle out to Linkle, her excitement mixing with Linkle’s trepidation.   
“Try it on! I swear, you’d look perfect in this dress.”  
Linkle smiled nervously, tucking a loose bit of hair behind her ear.  
“I don’t know, Zelda…”  
Zelda pushed the dress forward, making an exaggerated begging face.  
“...Alright, I’ll try it.”  
Zelda hopped up, clapping as Linkle took the dress in her hands.   
“I’ll go wait in the loft, call me when you’re dressed!”  
She skipped up the stairs, not waiting for a response.

————-

Linkle let out a soft “Oh.” and Zelda assumed that meant she was done.   
Zelda strode down the stairs gently. After how jubilant she was earlier, she really didn’t expect her to be so quiet this time. She could hear pain in her voice, like fractures splintering through Linkle’s heart.   
She crept toward the space under the loft to see Linkle, standing in front of a full-body mirror.   
A lantern hung on the wall beside her, casting her in an orange glow as she stared into the mirror.   
Her jaw was set, the spark in her eyes gone.   
The jubilant energy from before was gone.  
 _Linkle_ was gone.  
In her place, wearing a silky blue dress, was Link.

Knowing Link’s reflexes and heightened senses, he probably realized Zelda was there at some point, but if he did then he didn’t show it. He continued staring into the mirror, eyes scanning his body.   
He lifted a tough hand slowly, as if he was drawing a sword in a confined space. Then, he slowly ran it across his shoulders.  
He seemed as if he was noting how long they were, how hard and masculine they had been.  
He let the same hand fall to his chest. He pulled at the silky blue fabric for a moment, then ran his fingers down it. With no resistance, they slid past his flat chest.   
His hand was shaky as he let it fall back to its place beside him.  
“Linkle?”  
Zelda said tentatively. The worry consumed her thoughts, as she watched the girl that she’d fallen for melt away in front of her.

Link let out a short and sudden sob, one he’d been holding back for a while.   
“Every time I let myself be Linkle, it hurts so much to go back.”  
He swept his palm over his eyes, wiping away tears.  
“It _hurts_ so much to see what I really look like again.” 

Zelda reached out for him, but he flinched away.  
There was a look of shame on his face, as if he’d been laid bare for all to see only for the world to collapse around him.  
Zelda’s face fell, crestfallen.  
Link was pale.  
“Don’t want you to touch me.. like this..”  
He pushed past her out from under the loft, grabbing his clothes and the sheikah slate as he ran outside.  
Zelda ran for him, but came to a stop as she heard the familiar sound of someone warping away with the sheikah slate.

 

Zelda didn’t sleep that night.  
She spent hours with her face wrought in intense determination as she pulled books from storage within Link’s house and spread them open anywhere she could find space. There were papers scattered across the table, some with notes scrawled on them and some with diagrams. She moved between all of the open tomes, pinpointing specific tidbits of information and scrawling them down into categories. She worked without a pause, toiling through the night to compound every ounce of information that could even remotely assist her. Assist _Linkle_.  
Her resolve was cemented. She would do anything for Linkle.

————

Link came back early in the morning to find Zelda sleeping on the ground amongst a flurry of papers and books.  
“Princess!” He moved to her side in a panic, fearing for her safety, but was greeted by Zelda immediately snapping awake and lifting her head up.  
A sheet of paper was stuck to her face with drool, and her hair was frazzled and unkempt.  
Link took a step away.  
He had his champion’s tunic back on, the dress no doubt either stuffed in his pack or burned.  
“Did you… sleep last night?”  
Zelda scrubbed at her tired eyes with her fists before letting a tired, airy chuckle fall from her lips.  
“That doesn’t matter,” She pulled herself to her feet and dusted off the knees of her pant legs.  
“What matters now is that you deserve to be happy.”  
Linkle blinked, but said nothing. His face was blank.

Zelda sighed.   
“Are you happy when you aren’t Linkle?”  
Link went rigid again, still as a board.  
“Zelda, I-“  
“Answer the question.”  
Link looked down at the floor and scratched at his neck.  
“...No, but my duty-“  
“No buts.” Zelda cut him off.   
“Last night, I met the most amazing girl I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing in my life. She was funny, smart, caring, courageous, and gorgeous to boot.”  
Link blushed, but again said nothing and kept his eyes locked on the ground.  
“Then…”  
Zelda put her hand under Link’s chin and pulled him up until he was looking at her.  
“I had to watch as she was so disgusted by her own body that she faded away before my eyes.”  
She held strong, staring at Link with more steadfast determination than she’d ever had in her life.  
“She sparked a courage in me that I didn’t know I had.  
I miss her. I miss her so much, and honestly I would do anything to see her smile again.”  
She let go of his chin, and this time he kept eye contact with her.  
“I can’t watch you suffer like that anymore, not after seeing how happy you could be. So now, I have only one question to ask.”  
She took a small step forward, closing the space between them.  
 _“Do you want to be Linkle?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ha ha cliffhanger ha  
> i’m the worst


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it was a cliffhanger for exactly 45 minutes until i released the follow up
> 
> i love this chapter it is short and lovely

“Yes.”  
Link’s jaw trembled a bit as he spoke.  
“ _Goddess_ yes.”  
Zelda smiled softly.   
“Okay.”  
She leaned in, kissing him on the cheek before walking outside.  
Link paused for a moment, confused before following her.  
“Wait, Zelda, what…?”  
He walked out into the grass and trailed off.  
Zelda stood in the middle of the yard, hands forward, both glowing with divine energy.  
The golden light pulsed out from her feet as she leaned forward and increased the intensity of her energy.   
The light spread out before her like water spilling on a table, energy growing until a wall stood before her.   
She took a deep breath in, then slammed her open palm into the wall.

It felt as if she had dipped her hand into boiling liquid metal.  
A pulse shook out from her feet, stronger, as she screamed in pain.  
Link immediately tried to run toward her, but was blown back against his house by the waves of force blasting out from Zelda.   
She swung her hand downward through the wall of energy, and tore it in half.

Neither of them could really make out what they were seeing.  
It was as if the very fabric of reality had been torn in half before them. The world was warped around the gate, making it fuzzy and indecipherable.  
What was on the other side of the gate, however, couldn’t have been more clear.  
The Sacred Realm.

Zelda collapsed on her side, grasping her hand and taking quick sharp breaths.  
She held her unburned hand to the injury and pulsed her divine power out from it, healing the wound slowly.   
Link was at her side before he even knew he was moving.  
“Zelda!” He looked around, feeling helpless. There was nothing for him to do to help.  
Zelda laughed harshly.  
“There was a slight… malfunction.”  
She pulled herself to her knees and extinguished the holy power, revealing her lightly scarred hand and wincing as she saw it.   
Her once pale right hand was now tanned, the scar reaching up to her wrist before dissipating into swirling patterns.  
“That’s what I get for tearing apart reality before I even really have a handle on these powers.”  
Link offered out his hand, lifting her to her feet dotingly.  
Zelda held on to his hand, gripping it tightly with a smile before pulling him toward the rift.  
As soon as they passed through, the air crackled around them with divine energy. 

They were stood on a large and narrow marble pathway suspended above deep billowing clouds and a golden sky.  
Ahead of them, they could see an artefact that shone deeply with the same divine power Zelda had used. It seemed to emanate power, the air around it charged and excited.  
The Triforce.

Zelda and Link walked to it reverently, the clacking of their shoes against the marble echoing out through the endless space. 

Zelda turned to Link, hesitant but prepared, and gave him a soft smile.   
“Are you ready?”  
Link nodded, a solitary tear rolling over his cheeks as he squeezed her hand tighter.   
Together, they took their last steps toward the Triforce until they were right in front of it. It gave off a sort of warmth that coursed through them as, together, they laid their hands on it.

The world started pounding like a heart around them as they

 

faded

 

into

new

 

beginnings

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zelda woke up in the bed in Link’s house.   
She blinked furiously.  
Was that a dream?

She pushed against the heavy blankets, lifting her hand before her face.   
It was tan and scarred.   
She felt to her side, feeling warmth and seeing that the blankets over the area beside her on the bed had been pulled off and tossed aside.

Just then, a soft sob rose up from under the loft.  
A soft, feminine sob. 

Zelda scrambled out of the bed, tripping over her own nightgown before she ended up at the steps and stumbled down them, coming to a clumsy stop where Zelda and Link had been just the other night.  
“Link?” She asked breathlessly.  
But the woman stood before the mirror was not Link.  
Link was gone.  
In his place, wearing a silky white nightgown, was Linkle.

 

She stood staring into the mirror with a hand wrapped over her mouth in shock. Silent tears began to trace their way down her face as she looked at herself.

She lifted a strong and soft hand slowly, as if she was drawing a sword in a confined space. Then, she slowly ran it across her shoulders.  
They were smaller, less broad, and definitely softer.  
She let the same hand fall to her chest. She pulled at the cloth of the nightgown for a moment, then ran her fingers down it. They rolled over her chest, tracing the new curves as they went.  
Her hand was shaky as she let it fall back to its place beside her. 

“Linkle?”  
Zelda asked hopefully. The excitement practically consumed her thoughts as she watched the girl that she’d fallen for come to life in front of her. 

Linkle turned to face Zelda, crying as she wrapped her up in a big hug and nuzzled her soft face into Zelda’s neck.  
“I love you… I love you so much…”  
Linkle sobbed violently in her soft and feminine voice.  
Zelda ran her hands up and down Linkle’s back, her own jaw trembling as she whispered.  
“I love you too. I love you too, Linkle.”


End file.
